'Peter Pan' prequel will satisfy fans and skeptics

Dec. 6, 2013

Updated Dec. 7, 2013 11:14 a.m.

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Megan Stern and Joey deBettencourt in "Peter and the Starcatcher." “Peter and the Starcatcher” is a high-octane, bust-out comedy. The allegiance to Barrie is there, in the Lost Boys, in piratical skullduggery, in Victorian Empire and stiff upper lip and that sort of thing; as well as the loyalty to a miserable, nameless orphan who has rarely seen daylight and can only dream of an open, free world so perfect that no one ever has to say they're sorry. JENNY ANDERSON

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Joey deBettencourt in "Peter and the Starcatcher." Rick Elice's adaptation of the bestselling Dave Barry children's book plays through Jan. 12 at the Ahmanson Theatre. TERRY SHAPIRO

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Joey deBettencourt and Megan Stern in “Peter and the Starcatcher” at the Ahmanson Theatre. Stern is versatile and winning as stout, pre-feminist Molly, and deBettencourt does well to portray a perpetual innocent who isn't a sap. JENNY ANDERSON

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Joey deBettencourt and Megan Stern in "Peter and the Starcatcher." JENNY ANDERSON

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John Sanders and the company in "Peter and the Starcatcher" at the Ahmanson Theatre. JENNY ANDERSON

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The company of "Peter and the Starcatcher," appearing at the Ahmanson Theatre. JENNY ANDERSON

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The company of "Peter and the Starcatcher" at the Ahmanson Theatre. JENNY ANDERSON

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From left, Edward Tournier, Joey deBettencourt and Carl Howell with the company of "Peter and the Starcatcher" at the Ahmanson Theatre. JENNY ANDERSON

Megan Stern and Joey deBettencourt in "Peter and the Starcatcher." “Peter and the Starcatcher” is a high-octane, bust-out comedy. The allegiance to Barrie is there, in the Lost Boys, in piratical skullduggery, in Victorian Empire and stiff upper lip and that sort of thing; as well as the loyalty to a miserable, nameless orphan who has rarely seen daylight and can only dream of an open, free world so perfect that no one ever has to say they're sorry.JENNY ANDERSON

Those of you who melt with devotional submission at the mere mention of J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan” will not be disappointed by “Peter and the Starcatcher,” Rick Elice’s rambunctious prequel to the ageless classic about agelessness, which opened Wednesday at the Ahmanson Theatre. Those of you who sneeze at the mere thought of pixie dust will be even more delighted.

The creators of the show like to rhapsodize about “the flight of the imagination,” and it’s certainly that, in the Paul Sills’ Story Theater tradition of improvisational narrative spilled onto a relatively bare stage by role-shifting performers. And if the quote (along with reference to Joseph Campbell) seems a bit pretentious, the beatific skyward gaze of Peter and Molly (Wendy’s future mother) in the promotional materials is enough to make you wonder if you’re in for an evening of strenuous uplift.

Fear not. “Peter and the Starcatcher” is a high-octane, bust-out comedy. The allegiance to Barrie is there, in the Lost Boys, in piratical skullduggery, in Victorian Empire and stiff upper lip and that sort of thing; as well as the loyalty to a miserable, nameless orphan who has rarely seen daylight and can only dream of an open, free world so perfect that no one ever has to say they’re sorry. And every now and then there’s a sober aside, as when Molly leaves Peter with the thought, “It’s supposed to hurt, that’s what makes you know it meant something.”

If anything is strenuous, it’s the ache in your gut from laughter. For openers, the play is adapted from Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson’s 2006 children’s novel “Peter and the Starcatchers.” Anyone who’s read Barry knows that, even under threat of house arrest, you can’t keep from laughing at anything he writes. His zany, off-kilter take on the world crops up everywhere in “Starcatcher.”

But Elice, and especially co-directors Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, have made theater and the things theater does their top priority.

The plot? Oh dear.

Two ships are outward bound from 1855 England. One, the Wasp, is on a mission to deliver the queen’s trunk to Rundoon; the other, the Neverland, is a rickety decoy with an identical-looking trunk in its hold. Orphans, including Peter, are among the crew of the Wasp, which also carries the right Lord Aster, his daughter Molly and her nanny, Mrs. Bumbrake.

Shipwreck at sea. Wasp overtaken by pirates from The Neverland, led by the fey Black Stache (“What do the men call me?” “Nancy, sir.” “I mean the other men.”) There are amulets. There is disquisition on starstuff, the mystical contents of one of the trunks, headed for safekeeping on Rundoon’s Mount Jalapeno. You don’t really need to know.

That’s because the actors and designers don’t miss a comedic trick. Gags. Malapropisms. Double-entendres. Pace. Think of the Plautine energy, without the sexual leering, that went into “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” Think of Monty Python. Think of vaudeville and the manic, improbable invention in “Your Show of Shows” with Sid Caesar and his gang. Add them to the particular quality of knowing just how far to go out of conventional bounds (“This is the Cadillac Escalade of dilemmas”) without breaking the tension of form, and you’ll approximate the energy, smarts and artistic cohesiveness that go into this production.

“Peter and the Starcatcher” was workshopped at the La Jolla Playhouse in 2009 before moving Off-Broadway two years later, then opened on Broadway in April 2012, where it won five Tonys.

The touring company has the ensemble tightness of a team that has jelled over a long season. Most of the cast of 12 play multiple roles, but certain steadies anchor the production.

Nathan Housner’s Lord Aster has the vocal richness and stiff-backed rectitude characteristic of Rule Britannia; Benjamin Schrader’s Mrs. Bumbrake is a twee British lady who might just be a bawd underneath; and Harter Clingman’s Alf, with his happy soccer hooligan’s mug, knows just where her sweet spot lies. Megan Stern is versatile and winning as stout, pre-feminist Molly, and as Peter Joey deBettencourt does well to portray a perpetual innocent who isn’t a sap.

The gold doubloon goes to John Sanders who, as the outrageous Black Stache, knows there’s a fine line between flamboyance and swish. By the time he gets to the protracted, play-it-to-the-hilt reaction over the loss of his hand, we’ve long forgiven him everything.

But this is a full ensemble piece, where Donyale Werle’s scenic design, Paloma Young’s costumes, Jeff Croiter’s lights and Darron L West’s sound are crucial to tone and look. The Dickensian darkness of the first act opens to an aquamarine paradise in act two, which is no less scary-funny. Wayne Barker’s music is impeccably right.

Special mention should be made of movement coach Steven Hoggett’s contribution. Fluidity, quick-change motion and tight choreography are essential to “Starcatcher’s” flow, which reminds us that theater is unique in the way the human body moves in physical space and time shared by the rest of us. No jump cuts, no edits, which only adds life to an already lively party.

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